The Barrett Barrage Has Returned
I’m afraid I’ve got some good news…Wade Barrett has made his triumphant return to the WWE. But more specifically, back to his roots in NXT. But this time, he’ll be lending his expertise and personality to the announce desk alongside commentator Vic Joseph.
Barrett has been a very versatile component of the WWE family for the past decade. His persona has changed from a young, developmental star on the reality-show version of NXT. All the way to his Bad News Barrett gimmick in the latter half of the 2010s before his departure in 2016.
You’re Either Nexus or You’re Against Us
I think that Barrett has been the victim of poor booking decisions as a single’s competitor and buried as a part of the Nexus. The Nexus was way ahead of their time as they were basically unstoppable until John Cena came around and slowed their momentum at SummerSlam 2010. Let’s talk about that for a second.
I know there have been interviews from Barrett and Cena themselves saying what happened with booking and the way the match was called. Cena admitted he made the wrong decision to win and Barrett echoed the same notion. The Nexus faced off against Team WWE, made up of Cena, Edge, Chris Jericho, R Truth, Bret Hart, John Morrison and Daniel Bryan. The finish saw Cena clean house and go over as the winner, basically erasing the existence of the Nexus forever.
The Nexus was moulded into this unstoppable force of a stable in 2010 made up of the NXT rookies of that year. I’m not going to lie, I think the original Nexus was better than the new Nexus. But CM Punk had something special in that position of power with the New Nexus. Barrett was the perfect fit to be the leader as his character in NXT has a bit of stoic, brute class, which may come naturally from his English heritage.
Feeling It In Your Corre
Barrett is a diverse character because there was so much untapped potential that we never saw until the Bad News Barrett character debuted. There was a time when he reached main event status battling for the WWE Championship at four pay-per-view events against stars like Randy Orton, Edge and Sheamus. I liked this character but again, he was never given a chance to shine as champion.
I think it was a Daniel Bryan-like situation where he was dubbed a B+ player and was a mid-card superstar who got lucky to fight for a title. His rivalry with Randy Orton was spread out over the second half of 2010 and picked up somewhat at Survivor Series 2011 where they captained their respective tag teams.
My favourite match between the two was Survivor Series 2010. Orton defeated Barrett obviously, which again buried the Nexus, but it meant that John Cena was fired as per the given storyline. The WWE, namely SmackDown, when Barrett was a top talent there was seen as the land of opportunity.
Barrett was getting his main event push and his heel persona continued as he was still riding on the fumes of what was left of the Nexus. This allowed him to preserve that heat he got from the crowd every week. I think there are five people who are natural bad guys in WWE: Randy Orton, Edge, The Rock, CM Punk and Wade Barrett. At least of the talent, we’ve seen in the past 10 years.
I really want to skip over his stint as leader of the Corre because what the hell was that? You could call it a store brand version of the Nexus. I saw the Corre and New Nexus face off live at the 2011 Royal Rumble which I got to see when it came to Boston. That event was cool because it was like the culmination of all the stars I grew up watching really put on the last show for me as a kid.
For example, that was the year Edge retired. CM Punk was slowly getting his major push to fight Cena that year at SummerSlam and Money in the Bank when he walked out. Barrett was in the final four of the 40-man Royal Rumble match though along with Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio and Santino Marella. That match was electric with Booker T and Diesel returning to the biggest pop I’d ever heard. The final four superstars in the Rumble are usually top talent so to see Barrett among those men, it proved he was a top guy.
Can We Have Some Decorum Please?
In the age of King Barrett, his Intercontinental Championship run was decent. However, as he developed into the bearer of “bad news,” I think it’s where his singles career took off. Physically he was more toned and muscular than he had been at the beginning of his career. He just looked the part and he was very good on the microphone which solidified his character Bad News Barrett.
Barrett was a model superstar who fell under the radar as far as how he was presented by WWE. His versatility and accolades as a superstar proved that he was able to be used in any capacity. Singles, tag-team/faction, and even at commentary at times. Barrett’s barrage of accomplishments (no pun intended) has really prepared him for success behind the announce desk.
Being a well-rounded though underutilized superstar in the past, I think it allows him to have an eye for young talent and bring a fresh personality to the WWE product. Returning to NXT is both ironic and appropriate since that’s where Barrett began his WWE career, as I said earlier. Since he left in 2016, I haven’t really heard much of Barrett which leads me to believe that he could still be in fighting shape. I would love to see him transition from the announce desk and work a program with some of the superstars in NXT. I think everything would come full circle in that aspect.
BUT I’M AFRAID I’VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS… For now, we just have to enjoy and appreciate his return to the brand and his work as an announcer and hope for the best. The saying that WWE uses more than any other is “never say never.” If Edge can retire from a spinal injury and rehab to the point where he can be cleared for competition 9 years later, then anything can pretty much happen. However things develop in the future for NXT and for Wade Barrett, I’m glad to see he’s made his way back to WWE.
Alright, I’ll tag you in. What are your thoughts? Is Wade Barrett the announcer a good move or has he fallen victim to yet another poor executive decision? You tell me…
SLTD Wrestling brings you all the greatest wrestling content. from blogs, to podcasts to exclusive Predictions and Fantasy Leagues.
Recent Comments